Device for use in loading cars and the like



Nov. 17, 1931. c. mu cuzsusv 1,831,315

DEVICE FOR USE 1 LOADING CARS AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 17. 1929 Patented Nov. 17, 1931.

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE CHESTER M. MACCHESNEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSTGNOR TO ACME STEEL COM- PANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS DEVICE FOR USE IN LOADING CABS AND THE LIKE Application filedOctober 17, 1929. Serial No. 400,196.

This invention relates to a device'for use in loading freight cars and other carriers by the method described and claimed in United States Patent N 0. 1,703,495, granted Febru ary 26, 1929, on an application of Chester M. MacChesney and John Ekern Ott. The principal object of the present invention is to flprovide an improved form of stay for the exible binders which are employed in the practice of that method for uniting a number of load elements to form a relatively large load unit having suflicient weight and frictional contact with the floor of the car or other carrier to retain itself substantially in place during transit, although otherwise free to move with respect to the car. According to one method of practicing the invention covered by said prior patent, the flexible straps-or binders are arranged horizontally around the walls of the car before the load is placed in the car and are supported above the floor of the car by means of upwardly extending stays which-are temporarily attached to the car walls by means of spikes formed preferably as integral parts of the stay so that after the required number of load elements-have been arranged within the space enclosed by the flexible binders, the flexible binders may be drawn taut and secured around the load unit formed by the group of load elementswith the result that the stays are automatically withdrawn from the car walls by the operation of tightening the straps or binders and move inwardly to the load so that the stays then support the encircling straps or binders against downward movement and the-load unit, being preferably spaced, from the car walls, is free to move as a unit under the influenoe of abnormal shocks although retained normally in place by reason of its weight and frictional contact with thecar floor. The principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved form of supporting stay for the straps or binders which are arranged around the car walls so that the straps or binders may be detachably secured to, the stays after the stays have been attached.to the walls but are prevented from accidental detachment from the stays during the subsequent operation of forming the load unit and transporting the car with its load. Another object of the invention is to provide an improved metallic stay. having means for detachably securing it to a car wall and embodying detachable means for securing an encircling strap or binder thereto. A further object of the invention is to provide an improved supporting stay of the kind described having one or more detachable spring clips which may be employed for securing oneor more flexible binders thereto. Still another object of the invention is to provide a metallic stay -having means for engaging the car wall and spacing the body portion of the stay therefrom so that portions of the detachable spring clip may be inserted through an openin g in the stay into the s ace between the body of the stay and wall. ther objects relate to various features of construction and arrangelnfent which will appear more fully hereina ter.

The .nature of the invention will be understood from the following specification taken with the accompanying drawings, in which certain embodiments of the invention are illustrated. In the drawings,

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a portion of the inside of a railway freight car with flexible straps or binders supported around the walls of the car by means of the improved sta of the present inventionand illustrating't e partial formation of a load unit within the space around which the flex ible binders are draped;

Fig. 2 shows an enlarged elevation, looking toward the rear wall, of a portion of one of the'stays with a flexible strap attached thereto;

Fig. 3 shows an enlarged vertical section through the portion of the stay and strap illustrated in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 shows an enlarged detail section talren on the line H of Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 shows a modified form of the detachable spring clip adapted to be employed with the stay illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive;

Fig. 6 shows a horizontal section similar to that of Fig. 4, illustrating a modified construction of the. stay; 4

In Fig. 1 of the drawings, there is illustrated a portion of a railway freight car 10 having a pair of side walls 11 and a connecting end wall 12, all of which extend upwardly from the floor 13. In the practice of the invention covered by the above mentioned United States patent, a relativel large load unit is preferably formed in each end of the car between the usual centrally located door openings and the end walls of the car and before placing the elements of each load unit in place within the car, the flexible binders which are subsequently employed in uniting these load elements into one compact load unit having the necessary weight and frictional contact with the floor, are draped around the walls of the car between t e door openings and each end wall. These binders are preferably in the form of flexible steel'straps 14 which are comparatively thin and of sufiicient width and tensile strength to serve the purpose of uniting the load elements into the desired load unit. These straps are draped around the insides of the walls 11 and 12 and are supported above the floor 13 by means of vertica stays 15 which are also formed preferabl of sheet metal and which have sufiicient rigidity or stiffness to maintain substantially upright positions even after they have been detached from the car walls. In Fig. 1 of-the drawings, the straps 14 which are to serve as binders for uniting the load elements to be arranged in the s ace between the door openings and one on wall of the car are shown arranged around this space and three barrels 16 are shown placed within this space adjacent the end wall but spaced slightly therefrom. A suflicient number of add1tionalbar rels are placed within this space to form a load unit of the desired size and weight when they are subsequently bound together by drawin the binders 14 taut around the barrels an uniting the ends thereof by seals or other fastening means, as more fully described in said rior patent.

The improve sta 15 is shown as a stri or bar of sheet meta having a central longitudinal web 15 with a longitudinal rib or half-bead 15 along each edge thereof. The beads or webs 15" are adapted to impart sufficient stiffness or rigidity to the stay to cause it to maintain itself in the desired substantially upright position after being withdrawn from the car wall, while permitting the stay to conform throughout its len h to the contour of the barrels 16 or other oad units with which the stays contact when they are drawn inwardly from the car walls by the tightening of the binders 14. In addition, the ribs or beads '15 serve the purpose of spacing the web 15 outwardly from the car wall, it being understood that the stay is arranged within the car with the convex sides of the beads or ribs directed toward the surface of the car wall. The web 15" of the sta has portions thereof cut out and bent inwar ly at intervals to form inwardly directed sharpened spikes 15 which are integrally formed with the web of the stay and which result in the formation of openings 15 in the web conforming to the shape of the sharpened spikes. The sheet metal from whichthe stay is formed should be of su'fiicient stiffness to permit the spikes 15 to be driven into the wood of the walls 11 and 12 without bending and when the desired number of stays 15 have been temporarily united with the car walls 11 and 12 by means of the spikes 15, the binders 14 are attached to the stays by means of the spring clips 17 which form a detachable part thereof. Each spring clip 17 comprises a body rtion 17 whose length measured vertically 1s substantially the same as the width of the strip or hinder 14 and the part 17' is integrally united with the inwardly bent inclmed arms 17 b which diverge toward the car wall and which terminate in the inwardl directed reversely bent hooks 17. The we 15' of the stay is provided at intervals, corresponding to thedesired locations of the straps 14 above the car floor, with pairs of spaced openings 15 and the openings of each pair are space apart so that they are adapted to be en aged by the arms 17 of one of the spring 0 ips 17. The metal of the web 15 of the stay is bent inwardly at the adjacent edges-of the two openin s 15 of each pair to form inwardly incline diverging projections-15 about which the hooks 17 c are adapted to engage when the spring clip has been placed in "position. The arms 17* of each spring clip are normally spaced apart to such an extent that whenthe clip is moved into engagement with the web of the stay opposite the position to be occupied by one of the straps 14, the inner curved surfaces of the hooks 17 will lie opposite to and in engagement with the outer inclined surfaces of the projections 15. When the operator then pushes inwardly on the body portion 17 a of P the spring clip, the arms 17 will spread apart at their outer ends' as permitted by the resiliency of ;the metal from which they are formed until the hooks I1! snap over the projections 15 and maintain an interlockingengagement therewith, as shown particularly in Fig. 3. Due to the engagement of the convex surfaces of the ribs or beads 15 with the surface of the car wall, as shown in Fig. 4, there is provided a longitudinal channel 18 between the -web of the stay and the adjacent surface of the car wall which accom ends rest on the after the load unit is formed. The number Inodates the projections 15 and the hooks 17 of the spring clips.

Any desired number of spikes 15 may be formed on each stay 15 but there should preferably be at leasttwo spikes on each stay and the stays are of such length that their lower car floor both before and of pairs of openings 15 to be engaged by e spring clips 17 may vary according to the number of straps or binders 14 which are to be employed but in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, two pairs of openings 15 are provided in each stay to accommodate two separate spring clips employed in securing the two binders l4 thereto. In the operation of loading the car, a sufficient number of stays 15 are placed in vertical positions and united with the car walls 11 and 12 by driving the spikes 15 into the wooden inside sheathing of these walls. The straps 14 are then arranged around the space within the end of the car and are united with the stays by l placing the spring clips 17 in position to straddle the straps and push them inwardly are stretched taut until the arms of each spring clip snap into engagement with the projections 15 formed at the margins of one pair of openings 15 lVhen the spring clip hasthus been placed in position, an opening 19 is provided between the spring clip and the body of the stay which permits the engaging strap 14 to be moved longitudinally therethrough without disturbing the clip or the body portion of the stay. The flexible binders may thus be moved longitudinally with respect to the stays attached to the car wall and at the same time the present invention provides the advantage of permitting the siraps to be secured to the stays without threading them through openings in the stays. When the desired number of barrels 16 or other load elements have been arranged within the space about which the straps 14 are arranged, the ends of the straps adjacent to the door openings, for example, are drawn inwardly and'the straps or binders around the load unit by suitable strap stretching tools or other suitable means and then the overlapping ends of each strapor binder 14 are united by seals, spot welds or the like, to hold the load elements of that unit in compact, assembled relation. The number of barrels or other load elements forming one unit and the arwhich is formed from wireinstead of sheet tending hooks of metal and which comprises a body portion 20 of the same length as the width of the strap and two diverging arms or end portions 20 each of which terminates in a reversely bent and inwardly directed hook 20 adapted to engage the projections 15 shown in Fig. 3. The method of employing the spring clips shown in Fig. 5 is the same as that of using the spring clips 17, except that the openings 15 are preferably of less width when the clips 20 are employed so that lateral movement of the clips is prevented.

In Fig. 6 of the drawings there is illustrated a. modified construction of the stay according towhich the sheet metal stay 21 is provided with a body portion 21 terminating at its edges in longitudinal curved flanges 21 which are adapted to extend inwardly and contact edgewise. with the surface of the car wall 22. The body portion 21 of this stay has spikes 21 formed integrally therewith to engage the car wall and is provided with pairs of openings having inwardy extending projections 21 adapted to be engaged by the arms of the springclip 23 which is similar in construction to the spring clip 17 and which is adapted to secure in place one of the encircling straps or binders 24 In Fig. 7 of the drawings there is illustrated still another modification of the invention according to which the metallic stay 25 has its central'longitudinal web 25 formed integrally with two longitudinal beads or ribs 25* which have their convex surfaces directed outwardly and which have their edges arranged to contact with the surface of the car wall 26. Th spikes 25 adapted to be driven into the car wall and is further provided with pairs of openings and cooperating projections 25 which permit the spring clips 27 to be detachably secured thereto for maintaining in place a flexible strap or binder 28. The spring clip 27 and the method of attaching-it to' the stay 25 are the same as in the first form.

In Fig. 8 of the drawings there is illl1strated still another modification in which the sheet metal stay 30 has a flat web 30 provided at its edges with two inwardly curled beads 30 which contact on their inner curved surfaces with the surface of the car wall 31. The web 30 has spikes 30 formed integrally therewith to engage the wall 31 and this web is further provided with pairs of openings having inwardly extending projections 30 at their edges to be engaged by the inwardly exa spring clip 32 which, in this embodiment, has the form shown in Fig. 5. The spring clip 32 secures in place a flexible binder 33 similar to the flexible binders 14. i

The stays embodying the present invention are preferably of suflicient stifiness to rest on the floor and support the binding straps after the straps from the car walls, may be made flexible and suspended from the -ways within -the scope of have been tightened around the load and the stays have been moved inwardly but the improved stays car walls in accordance with the method disclosed in United States Patent No. 1,726,709, granted September 3, 1929, on an application of' Chester M. MacChesney and John Ekern Ott.

' Although various forms of the improved stay have been illustrated and described in connection with the explanation of certain and detachable means for attaching a binder to said rod.

: 2. Apparatus for use in loading freight cars comprising an upwardly extending supporting rod having means for attaching it to a car wall, and a detachable device for attach- -ing a flexible binder to said rod.

3. Apparatus for use in loading freight cars comprising an upwardly extending rod having a spike extending therefrom, and a detachable device for attaching a binder to said rod.

4. Apparatus cars comprising porting rod adapted to be detachably secure to a car wall, and detachable means for attaching a plurality of flexible binders in spaced relation on said rod.

5, Apparatus for use in loading freight cars comprising a plurality of upwardly extending rods spaced apart and adapted to be secured to a car wall, and detachable devices fgri securing a flexible binder to each of said r s.

6. Apparatus for use in loading freight cars-comprising a supporting rod, means for securing said rod to a car wall, and a spring clip detachably engaging said rod for securing a flexible binder thereto.

Apparatus for use in cars comprising to be detachably a spring clip having an interlocking engage ment with said rod and adapted to support a flexible binder.

- 8. Apparatus for use in loading freight cars comprising a supporting rod having a pair of. apertures therein, and a spring clip for use in loading freight an upwardly extending sup:

loading freight a supporting rod adapted secured to a car wall, and

. adapted to support a flexible binder and havm with an interlocking detachable engagement the walls of said apertures.

9. Apparatus for use in loading freight cars comprising a supporting rod having a pair of spaced apertures and having inwardly inclined projections at the adjacent margins of said apertures, and a spring clip adapted to engag ing parts engaging said projections.

10. Apparatus for use in loadingx freight cars comprising a supporting rod aving a pair of spaced apertures therein, and a spring clip adapted to straddle a flexible binder and having hooks adapted to be pressed into interlocking engagement with the edges of said a ertures.

11. pparatus for use in loading freight cars comprising a rod having a pair of apertures therein and having inwardly inclined projections at the adjacent edges of said apertures, and a spring clip adapted to straddle a flexible binder and having a pair of inwardly diverging arms terminating in hooks adapted to be spread apart when pressed against said projections and to interlock with said projecions to hold said binder in predetermined position on said rod.

7 12. Apparatus for use in loading freight cars comprising an upwardly extending metal rod having longitudinal marginal ortions adapted to engage a car wall and liaving a pair of apertures therethrough between said marginal portions, and a spring clip adapted to support a flexible binder and having parts extending into said apertures to foam an interlocking engagement with said ro 13. Apparatus for use in loading freight cars comprising. an upwardly extending sheet metal rod having lateral inwardly ex- 1 tending parallel ribs adapted to engage the car wall, means for securing said rod to the wall, the body portion of said rod having a pair of spaced apertures therethrough between said ribs, and a spring clip adapted to straddle a flexible binder and having a pair of hooks engaging the edges of said apertures.

14. Apparatus for use in loading freight cars comprising a sheet metal ro having parallel longitudinal ribs adapted to engage the car wall and to space the intervening body portion from said wall, a spike formed integrally with said rod between said ribs for securing said rod to said wall, said rod havin a pair of apertures therethrough space apart vertically, and a spring clip having diverging arms rovided with books adapted to interlock wlth said rod at the ed es of said apertures.

11 testimony whereof, I have subscribed my name.

CHESTER M. MAOCHESNEY;

e a flexible binder and hav- 

